Beyond Auto Mode: A Guide to Taking Control of Your Photography

Chapter 13: ADDING FLASH AND OTHER GEAR

You’ve probably noticed there is a lot of gear associated with photography. Whether it’s the big-ticket items like lenses or the smaller accessories like camera straps, flash diffusers, or card wallets, there are many ways to spend your money.

The question, really, is what gear do you need to make the images you want?

In this chapter, we talk about different items available to you and when, or why, you might consider purchasing them. Before we get to that, though, let’s talk about flash photography—how to use the flash on your camera and when to add a camera-mounted flash to your arsenal.

ADDING FLASH

Most consumer DSLRs come with a pop-up flash. In auto modes, when the camera determines there is not enough light typically the flash pops up automatically. In semi-auto and manual modes, however, you control when the flash is used.

FIGURE 13-1 The pop-up flash on a DSLR.

There are times when there simply is not enough light available to make a well-exposed image. Sometimes there’s not enough light in the entire scene, or sometimes there’s not enough light on your subject. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using flash when required—the key is knowing when that is and how to use flash to your best advantage.

Remember those ...